Patrick Hardison, a native of Mississippi, has an incredible life story. This man became the first American to have a face transplant in 2015, after his face and neck were horribly scarred in a home fire.

Patrick had a wonderful life until the tragic events of 2001.

Having previously served as a volunteer fireman, he eagerly seized the opportunity to assist with a home fire. Unfortunately, when he entered the flaming location, it fell on top of him, trapping him. He couldn’t move, and his chest and face were badly burned.

“[My mask] was melting onto my face,” Patrick recounted. “My hose had already melted.”

“For somebody who does what we do for a living, I’ve never seen anybody burned that bad that was still alive,” friend and first responder Jimmy Neal told CBS News about meeting Patrick after the tragedy.

Patrick had third-degree burns on his face and head. He also suffered burns on his head, neck, and upper chest. The fire also consumed his ears, lips, most of his nose, and the majority of his eyelid tissue.

Patrick told Fox News, “I didn’t see myself until about November. “They cut a little pinhole in one of my eyes since they had everything covered with skin grafts. I glanced in the mirror, and all I could say was, “Is this it?” “I can’t do it,” he recalled.

Over the years, this man has been compelled to have over 70 surgeries and various treatments. He couldn’t cover his eyes, and surgeons were able to create skin flaps to safeguard his eyesight, but he was still at risk of going blind.

Patrick could hardly eat without experiencing tremendous discomfort. He was unable to adapt to this life because he was unable to look at himself in the mirror. Everyone stared at him everywhere he went, and he couldn’t handle being around others, including his own children.

To disguise and defend himself, Patrick always donned sunglasses and a baseball cap. He also wore an ear prosthesis.

“I had children. It was just a difficult moment. I never had a day off from the injury. It was common to stroll out in public on a daily basis. “And, you know, there’s no way to explain everything,” he told Yahoo! Sports.

“You go to the ball field; you have to prepare yourself for the kid that goes running off screaming.”

Years passed, and Patrick lost hope of ever leading a regular life. However, Isabelle Dinoire, a French woman, underwent a partial face transplant after her beloved dog seriously deformed her face. This method was groundbreaking. It was the first of its sort. It undoubtedly provided a glimmer of hope for Patrick, who was genuinely struggling at the time.

Patrick spoke with Dr. Eduardo D. Rodriguez of NYU Langone Medical Center in New York, who said he would do the transplant procedure if they found a suitable donor. It wasn’t simple, but one day, unexpectedly, a donor emerged. LiveOnNY, a non-profit that facilitates organ donations in the New York region, has discovered a match. Patrick was about to obtain the face of 26-year-old David Rodebaugh, who had suffered a major head injury in a bike accident and was ruled brain dead.

Nancy Millar, the young man’s mother, opted to give her son’s organs, including his face. “I responded, ‘You’d best spare his face. He has the appearance of a porcelain doll. And he’s a donor; we had discussed it,” Millar told People.

The prospect of someone inheriting her son’s face meant that David would live on in the lives of those he was going to save, including Patrick’s.

“When I met Patrick, I saw this strength, this strong, manly, burly kind of energy in him—that David had,” Nancy remembers.

“David wanted to be a firefighter, and I knew if this guy was a firefighter—he was willing to walk into a fire to save people and risk his own life—then he had the strength that David had.”

Finally, the day for the transplant operation arrived. The process took 26 hours and involved a team of 100 experts.

Patrick faced a significant risk, with a 50/50 chance of survival. Fortunately, it was an enormous success. Patrick got a new face, scalp, ears, and ear canals. He also received eyelids, which allowed him to blink naturally while preserving his eyesight.

“Everything in life has a risk,” Patrick told Time magazine.

“Whether you are struck by a car while walking down the street or you are laying on the operating table, you will depart when the time comes.”

Patrick saw his donor’s mother after recovering from edema and relearning how to speak and swallow. Nancy had only one request: kiss Patrick on the forehead.

“I said, ‘Can I kiss your forehead?'” Nancy stated. “That was the sole activity I desired to complete, as I would kiss his forehead every night before he went to bed when he was a child.”

“I had been waiting a year to meet her. “I’m just grateful,” Patrick added. “Without her, it would not have been possible. It’s as if she were family. We were able to join effortlessly.”

Patrick has been taking anti-rejection medicines to keep his immune system from rejecting the face since the operation, and he is doing well. He received not just a new look, but also a new life.

Today, he is divorced and working on a book that he hopes will inspire anybody who feels there is no way out of their current predicament. “I want the world to know that there is hope.” Those who were like me years ago shouldn’t think this is life. You do not. “You can do anything,” Patrick adds.

His survival and recuperation are considered remarkable. Patrick is a happy guy today, thanks to Nancy, Dr. Rodriguez, and his staff, as well as his strong will.